Just watching the video below should be enough to get you intrigued about this knife and its maker. We originally purchased a handful of knives from him to give our forum members a chance to try them. Well, the response was overwhelmingly positiveÖin the main! So we are having him make more for us using our membersí input to improve the product.

The knives do not possess the highest level of fit and finish. They are not made from exotic materials. And they are as much a curio as a desirable kitchen knife. But what they do possess is a character and an ability to cut that is as good as many knives we sell.

The blades themselves are fashioned from old leaf springs. These auto cast offs are actually a great source of knife steel, usually being made from 5160 steel. In fact many highly regarded US custom knife makers use this steel source for their expensive creations. The edge profile is all belly. There is not a flat spot to be seen! But the blade is super thin and ground really well. With a height of 90mm and an edge length of about 210mm, it resembles a classic Chinese cleaver ratio.

Putting aside the less-than-perfect finish, one thing everyone agrees on is their cutting ability. These blades are sharp and take an incredible edge. For someone looking for a unique version of a cleaver, a fun project knife, or a sharpening practice knife, the Daovua is a perfect and high value choice. Please remember these are made under crude conditions with used steel so you should expect that they're rough and have imperfections that exceed most of our other knives. Expect dents, scratches odd sizes, different handles etc. If you're into great fit and finish or are overly particular run away! If you want to try a cool piece of living history and you're not uptight about a crude but cool cutting tool than you'll love it.

Weight: 9.8 ounces

Blade Length: 205 mm

Total Length: 340 mm

Spine Thickness at Base: 2.5 mm

Blade Height: 85 mm

Product Reviews

5Love everything about it. , February 21, 2019

Posted By: Joshua Runyon

Recently received mine, couldn't be more happy. It was exactly what I was expecting, imperfection and excellence combined to make an intriguing and delightful to use product. I will be picking up the entire Daovua line as they become available. They aren't kidding about this material being superb for knife making. Holds scary sharp edge quite well. It's also great to be just a few hours away in La Crosse WI!

I've been a lifelong user of classic european chefs knives but decided to give a Chinese Caidao cleaver a solid trial. First, unless all you do is slicing, it's a lie that the Caidao is the only knife you ever need. I have a custom shaped parer for peeling onions and scraping ginger, I have a flexible utility for filleting, I have a Santoku that is a necessity for quartering brussel sprouts, all tasks that a Caidao could do, but at a compromise in speed and efficiency.

The Caidao's advantage is in it's thin, thin, thin blade that minimizes the effort of slicing. The thin blade and its huge width allows for consistent paper-thin slicing, at speed. Of course, the width makes it an excellent spatula for moving things around.

The story of the Daovua's craft holds exactly the right sentiment for me: prioritizing workmanship and thrift over production and beauty. My son (for whom the knife was originally intended) and I fussed endlessly over the hand hammering and grinding on the blade. The stories we read in the dents were the reason for the knife.

But after finish sharpening (diamond to 3K, then 6K King waterstone) and a side-by-side comparison with the small CCK, we found differences that made the CCK the knife he was keeping. Sharpness, of course, is rarely the issue - given sufficient time and abrasives, we can get anything sharp. Instead, the deeper rocker of the Daovua meant a very small &quot;sweet spot&quot; for chopping, requiring a longer rocking stroke for a full cut, or if push cutting rather than rocking, rocking is still required to finish the cut. I'll use both rocking and pushing when I'm working and I don't like how the Daovua is so specialized for one stroke.

The deep rocker has two other effects: first the edge sinks deeper into my cutting board so that the blade sticks when I want to move vegetables away from the cutting area. Secondly, when using the blade as a spatula, the rocker tends to dig in rather than sliding smoothly. Though familiarity will make this less of an issue, the rocker also means that vegetables away from the sweet spot won't get picked up.

Finally, the metal of the blade causes onions to discolor after a while.

I will be keeping the Daovua, but spending some quality time with an 180 grit diamond plate to reduce the rocker as well as cleaning up various rough edges. It's good knife.

CKTG is at heart a small business so the service is personal. They are one of the rare companies that actually dispatch the order the same day as receiving it and provide tracking information. It is great to deal with an individual by name and itís evident that they take pride and love in what they do.

Had a problem with one of the products and they went out of their way to resolve. I would highly recommend dealing with this company. Itís nice to find a company who cares and they will get me as a return customer.

Mark is great at answering questions for knife nuts of all levels. His service is second to none. Really appreciate the time he puts into every email as well as the free forum he hosts.

Great experience working with Chef Knives to Go. Quick delivery, and they are great about returning emails. I'm actually waiting on my second knife from them. I'm sure there will be more to come.

Loved the instructional videos on the website.

Great service and quick shipping. Best selection of Japanese knives around. I recommend this site to all of my fellow culinary professionals!

Top quality service. None better.

Always the best. Quick shipping, description matches what is delivered and the price, you can't beat them. I always come here to order anything I might need for the kitchen and I am never disappointed.

I ordered several Christmas presents from Chef Knives To Go. Everything arrived as promised and all who received gifts from there were happy with them.

As always, the shopping experience at Chef Knives to Go was excellent. Fast, free shipping, great website description of the product, and the confidence instilled in me because I know that if there are any problems the good people at Chef Knives to Go will help me work it out.

My go to company for kitchen gear. Awesome selection of knives and tools. Super fast shipping. Never had a problem and questions about all products are answered quickly. Great customer service.